LHAHS Chapter 419
"Lumene has a lot of good shops," Lunia remarked.
"That's true! All the cakes are delicious!" Eiran, with a fork in her mouth, cupped her cheeks with a blissful expression.
Seeing the two of them, another representative of Seiren's second-years, Luca, smiled. "It would be nice if our school were like this too."
"Yeah, seriously."
Despite being one of the top three strongest second-years, Luca had been stripped of his position as a class representative in the first semester due to the Pureblood Society's policies. However, with Seiren returning to normal, he had regained his position.
The three of them had been known as an inseparable trio since their first year, so they were now exploring Lumene together.
As they enjoyed their time in Lumene…
"Hey, hey."
Carl came running, panting heavily.
"What's going on?" Lunia asked.
"Your first-year junior! Lea Tingel!" Carl spoke urgently. "She just got caught by Professor Harrid and was dragged to his office!"
"Professor Harrid?"
"Harrid? One of the most famous professors in Lumene?"
Harrid and Sedgen. These two were renowned professors of Lumene, highly respected even among other races. Naturally, Lunia and Eiran knew of them as well.
Lunia put down her teacup. "Why did Lea get caught by him?"
Carl replied, "How should I know? Maybe she caused a commotion in the first-year hallways or something!"
"Ah~ That sounds like her. She has those random outbursts sometimes."
"Lea definitely has a quirky side."
"She once wrote Leo's mentee's name all over in red ink. She said it was a curse or something."
"Fufu. It seems she considers that Luke boy her rival." Eiran covered her mouth, laughing at Lunia's words.
Luca shook his head. "It's a little terrifying to think she only considers him a rival."
Watching the Seiren representatives chat so nonchalantly, Carl scratched his head in frustration. "You guys have no idea how serious this is, do you? You don't know what kind of person Professor Harrid is, do you?"
"What kind of person is he?"
"He's called Lumene's Wailing Wall. He's the scariest professor in our school!"
Lunia rested her chin on her hand. "So? There are scary teachers in Seiren too."
"It's a totally different level! The third, fourth, and fifth-year seniors, Lumene alumni who became professors—even graduates who made it into the Hero Record all tremble before Professor Harrid!"
The reason Harrid was feared wasn't just because he was called Lumene's Wailing Wall. Before being known as the professor who expelled the most students, Harrid was simply terrifying as a person.
Eiran spoke urgently. "B-But Lea is a Seiren student! No matter how strict he is, wouldn't he be more lenient with students from another school…?"
"Lenient? That word does not belong in the same sentence as Professor Harrid," Carl muttered seriously.
At that moment…
"What's going on?" Eliana, who happened to be passing by, asked with a curious look.
"Oh, we've got an experienced person here."
Eliana had been dragged to Harrid's office once in her first year for breaking school rules. Carl, despite frequently skirting the rules, had always managed to avoid getting caught with his usual clever tricks, but Eliana had once crossed the line.
"Hey, I heard a Seiren first-year got taken to Professor Harrid's office?"
"Ah." Eliana let out a small exclamation. Then she smirked and said, "If it were me, I'd rather shove my face into a plate and die than be dragged to Professor Harrid's office."
Lunia's expression turned serious. Just what does he do to people?
"W-What should we do?" Eiran asked frantically.
Carl crossed his arms and spoke gravely, "For now, all we can do is pray that she returns in one piece."
Lunia sighed deeply. "Can you at least show us the way to his office?"
At those words, Carl and Eliana both averted their gazes.
"Are you scared? And you call yourselves hero candidates?"
"I'm not one."
"I'm scared, so what?"
Seeing how unashamed Carl and Eliana were, Lunia grabbed Carl by the collar and started dragging him.
"Lead the way."
"Why me?!" Carl screamed in protest, but Lunia ignored him.
The place chosen for the World Summit was a place known as the Hall of Twilight, located in the upper floors of Lumene's Tower of Heroes. The summits held at Lumene throughout the ages had always taken place here.
On the central wall of the hall, five portraits were hung. They were none other than the portraits of the Heroes of Dawn. Beneath them stood statues.
Aaron wielding a sword, Dweno holding an axe, Luna gripping a staff, Lysinas carrying a book, and finally, Kyle.
They were statues of the greatest of the Great Heroes—those who ended the Age of Calamity and granted the world a future.
The kings and heroes who entered the Hall of Twilight paid their respects to the portraits of the Heroes of Dawn and the statues of the Great Heroes before taking their seats.
As a student council president attending the summit, Leo was seated alongside the student council presidents from other schools.
Once everyone had settled into their seats, all eyes turned to the highest seat meant for the Speaker of the Assembly.
Step— Step—
Soon after, Melina appeared in the Hall of Twilight. As always, she was in the form of a small girl, her face veiled. She radiated a gentle presence, yet her mere arrival overwhelmed the entire assembly.
Standing before the portraits of the Heroes of Dawn and the statues of the Great Heroes, Melina clasped her hands together and offered a brief moment of reverence. Then, she took her seat at the head of the hall and surveyed the room.
"I extend my gratitude to all of you who have gathered here for the sake of the world despite your busy schedules."
All eyes were fixed on Melina.
"The reason we have assembled here is simple. We are here to discuss the recent unsettling movements of Tartaros. Does anyone wish to speak on this matter?"
As soon as Melina finished speaking, a dark-skinned dwarf raised his hand.
"King of Leberun, you may speak."
"First, I offer my boundless blessings to the great Dragon Queen," the King of Leberun began, paying his respects to Melina. "I have a question for the headmaster of Azonia, Zephia."
"What is it?"
"Recently, a large number of beastmam Hero Hunters have begun appearing in my kingdom. Our Leberun Kingdom sought to purge these vile traitors."
The King of Leberun's expression grew fierce.
"But the despicable traitors were strong, and there was no sign of their extermination. So, I deployed our proud warriors—the 4th Division of the Iron Fist."
At the mention of Leberun's 4th Division, murmurs spread throughout the assembly.
As a nation of dwarves, Leberun was rich in mines. This abundance of high-quality ore allowed them to produce superior weaponry, making them one of the five great dwarven kingdoms. The warrior division representing Leberun was the Iron Fist.
"The 4th Division was annihilated."
Shocked gasps erupted from all directions.
The King of Leberun's eyes flashed.
"And just before I attended this summit, a survivor who barely regained consciousness gave his testimony. He spoke of beastmen using beast transformation despite it not being the night of a full moon!"
His gaze locked onto Zephia, his eyes filled with rage.
"Tell me, Zephia! I have heard that Azonia knew of this long ago! Then why! Why did you not announce this fact which cost my kingdom's young warriors their lives?!" the King of Leberun shouted.
Zephia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I apologize for not disclosing this information, Your Majesty. However, Azonia needed to properly assess the situation first."
"Properly assess? You concealed it to protect Azonia's honor, didn't you?! Because mere traitors achieved what beastmen failed to do for 5000 years! You were ashamed, so you hid it!"
"Watch your words, King of Leberun!"
A ruler from another beastman kingdom raised his voice.
"The King of Leberun is only speaking the truth! What right do you have to silence him?!"
"The truth? Was it not your own weakness that led to your warriors being hunted? And now you dare to tarnish the honor of we who descend from the Brave Hero?"
"What did you just say?!"
Heated shouts erupted between the beastmen and dwarves. It was a sensitive matter.
For the beastmen, their entire race's pride and honor were at stake. For the dwarves, they had lost their brightest young warriors. The fire that had been lit quickly grew out of control.
"Shh…"
A quiet voice echoed through the hall.
Though soft, the single utterance carried an undeniable authority. The beastmen and dwarves, who had been arguing, turned to Melina.
"We are not here to fight. We are not here to argue over right and wrong."
Melina turned to the beastmen.
"Azonia Academy's failure to disclose this information is indeed regrettable. However, I can understand their reasoning. The revelation could have caused turmoil among the beastmen as a whole… and it was a matter tied to beastman honor. It is not entirely incomprehensible."
Next, she turned to the dwarves.
"The deaths of the young warriors of the Iron Fist are truly tragic. You have my condolences. But there is one thing that must be noted. Hero Hunters are those who hunt heroes—or those akin to them. Countless powerful heroes have fallen into the treacherous traps of these loathsome traitors."
Sorrow filled Melina's voice.
"But we do have those who can hunt the Hero Hunters."
Melina turned her gaze to a certain section of the hall.
The sole unique presence in this assembly. The one who most belonged here, yet also felt the most out of place—Syau, the Emperor of the Xian Empire, the nation of Shadows.
"The reason the young warriors of the Iron Fist perished… I believe it was due to a lack of communication. An unavoidable issue."
Melina swept her gaze across the room.
"We are all bound by different interests, and sometimes, sharing information exposes our vulnerabilities."
Several individuals coughed and avoided Melina's gaze.
"But now is the time to set such things aside and cooperate."
Melina spoke firmly.
"King of Leberun, why did you not seek aid from the Xian Empire?"
"…We solve our own problems. That is our pride."
"That pride… is admirable. But is that the only reason?"
The King of Leberun lowered his head in silence.
"I understand that many consider seeking the aid of the Shadows shameful. But that should not be the case. The Shadows are equals to heroes."
At those words, a human raised his hand.
"King of Lucket, you may speak."
The King of Lucket, ruler of a northern human kingdom, said, "I understand the point you are making, your majesty. The Shadows are indeed specialized in hunting Hero Hunters. However, they also commit unspeakable atrocities in the darkness. They are a necessary evil."
"The Shadows are not evil."
"I misspoke. But regardless, relying on the Shadows is a disgrace to heroes."
The King of Lucket narrowed his eyes.
"They exist solely to assist heroes. They can never be their equals."
"And why do you think that?"
"Because they can never have their names recorded in the Hero Record. They will never be acknowledged by the gods."
At the King of Lucket's words, the room fell silent as all eyes turned to Syau.
Syau rose from his seat. "This is a good opportunity. I have something to show you regarding the Hero Record."
"What is it?"
Syau looked at Melina. When Melina nodded, Syau pulled a small box from his robes and walked to the center of the Hall of Twilight. He placed the box on the orichalcum display table in the middle and opened it.
All eyes focused on it.
"A Hero Record?"
Someone murmured in disbelief.
"Impossible! Even the Hero Records stored in the hero academies aren't that intact!"
"A fake?"
"But this power is unmistakable…!"
As astonishment filled the hall, Melina asked, "Emperor of Xian, what is that?"
"The Book of Shadows, the Hero Record of all Shadows."